Plans for 150 million-passenger UK airport to be submitted this summer

Plans for 150 million-passenger UK airport to be submitted this summer

Plans for a 150 million-passenger, four-runway airport, with scope to add an extra two runways, will be submitted to the UK Government this July.

Plans for a 150 million-passenger, four-runway airport, with scope to add an extra two runways, will be submitted to the UK Government this July.

Architects, Foster+Partners, will hand over its proposal for a new airport in the Thames Estuary to the Airports Commission, which is investigating whether the UK should increase its airport capacity.

Lord Foster said: “We welcome the Airports Commission – it is an important task and demonstrates the government’s commitment to tackling the aviation issue.

“Decisive action must be taken in planning for future capacity if Britain is to remain competitive.

“We believe that a new four-runway Thames Estuary airport can best provide the connectivity and future flexibility that Britain desperately needs, while improving the lives of the millions of Londoners blighted by Heathrow’s flight path.”

The airport is part of the proposed Thames Hub, a unique opportunity for an integrated infrastructure solution to rebalance the economy, stimulate growth and enable the UK to maintain its global hub status, the architects said.

The airport would be built on the Isle of Grain. It would be self-funded, the architects said, and linked to London via a spur to the existing high-speed rail line.

This would also connect with the planned high speed rail link to Birmingham and Manchester.